VOICES FROM THE SECTOR: HEALTH
What are the main activities of the company?
We have two main businesses. One is the Saúde Prime brand, a B2C brand where we sell health plans, health insurance, and financing for health. Our second business unit is a B2B-oriented service where we help other insurance companies and manage their health insurance policies. We work with large institutions in the Portuguese market such as Victoria Seguros, Banco Santander, EDP, among others, and manage their health clients and health portfolios.
What opportunities do you see in the expansion of your network?
In Portugal, the network is fairly established, and we have excellent national coverage working with the best providers. We are now expanding to other countries and entering new markets. We choose countries where there is specific growth in the market of health insurance, such as Poland, Romania, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Do your local partners provide access to the hospitals?
Yes, though it depends on the countries. In Poland and Romania, we deal directly with the medical providers to build our own medical network. In Ecuador, we acquired a small company that was already established in the market. In Colombia, we are opening a subsidiary, although we will not build our own medical network, as there are many already established.
Can you elaborate on your dedicated tourism solution?
Portugal is growing significantly in terms of tourism, and health is a major concern when someone is travelling to a foreign country. We developed an app that gives tourists access to our medical network. Through this, we are introducing a 24-hour medical support service.
Are people shifting from public solutions to the private?
Yes, there has been stable growth in this direction. Even during tough times, the health insurance business was the only insurance product that grew year after year.
What have been the main achievements of the company?
The company is focused on innovation, which, along with quality service, is the reason behind its success. The two biggest companies in the world of implants are Nobel Biocare and Straumann, and a significant percentage of their products were developed by us. We are not just a dental company; we develop products, surgical techniques, and prosthetic techniques. We have developed two major products that every company related to dentistry is now using. One is the All-on-4 surgical procedure, a specific surgical procedure for people without teeth. We have also developed the Cap Gum technology for mouth reconstruction and have a total of 16 patents, among them several surgical and prosthetic techniques. Moreover, since we are present in 22 countries, we are the biggest dental company in the world in terms of geographic footprint. Our medical side is small; we basically focus on anti-aging and plastic surgery.
What expansion opportunities do you see?
We expect over EUR100 million in revenue, and this is for every country with the exception of China, because in China alone we are already bringing in about EUR50 million. In 2019, we expect to make EUR186 million, with EUR100 million from China alone.
Do you have any universities ties?
We run a MALO CLINIC Education department and have educational programs in 22 countries. We also have a 2,000-sqm education department at our headquarters. Notably, we receive over 3,000 international students every year.
What are some of the key achievements of the company?
The biggest achievement has been our growth over the last 38 years. In 2004, we received an award from Magazine Exam for being the best commercial company in Portugal. We are the biggest company in the market segments that we operate in; it is difficult to find a company in Portugal that operates in as many segments as we do. We employ a BRB approach in the technical segments regarding esthetics and physiotherapy. In relation to physiotherapy, we work with hospitals and private clinics as well as private doctors. For many years, physiotherapy was only a technical market connected to the medical market through physical therapy. Sorisa started working with it on a larger scale to conduct market research, provide service, and complete its product range. We operate in both the technical and medical segments. Similarly, we work with technicians in the market, but we also work with medical esthetics. Managing big data bases, contacts, customers, markets, and products has been the biggest achievement for us.
What are the main challenges for Sorisa in Portugal, and how does it view the wellness sector in Portugal?
Portugal is a satellite country in Europe that does not have a major fitness producer. We suffer from international trends in the wellness market. Wellness has become part of our daily business as an increasing number of people are becoming aware of it. In the future, any mid-sized company should have wellness rooms and policies. In terms of technology, wellness facilities are looking at using new technologies to communicate with people at home to generate more traction. As a result, the number of health clubs will increase, and the concept will spread to other areas of the economy.
VOICES FROM THE SECTOR: HEALTH
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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António Braz Costa , General Manager, Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile & Clothing Industries (CITEVE)
CITEVE has transformed the industry by promoting value addition, adopting the latest technologies, and ensuring the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
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Germano de Sousa , President, Grupo Germano de Sousa
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Isabel Capeloa Gil , Rector, Universidade Católica
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Carlos Guillén Gestoso , President, Escola Universitária de Ciências Empresariais, Saúde, Tecnologias e Engenharia & President, Atlantica University
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Pedro Queiroz , General Manager, Federation of the Portuguese Agri-Food Industry (FIPA)
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